Why Mislatel was chosen as provisional 3rd telco

Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Mislatel Consortium provisionally won the bidding for the country's 3rd major telecommunications player because it offered the highest committed level of service, a Cabinet official overseeing the search said Wednesday.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said SEAR Telecom failed to pay a P700-million security fee while PT&T failed to produce a "certificate of technical capability" from other countries where it operates.

"Wala po," he said when asked if he received a call from the Malacañang.

Uy was among the top donors of President Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 presidential elections.

Uy, president and chief executive officer of Phoenix Petroleum, and his wife Cherylyn gave a total of P31 million in cash to the Duterte campaign as shown in the president's Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).

Mislatel Consortium will also offer a minimum average broadband speed of 27 Megabits per second (Mbps) in its first year of operation and 55 Mbps on its second year. The internet speed is nearly similar to Singapore, he added.

Duterte in 2017 sought the entry of a third telco player to improve internet connectivity in the country.

He earlier said he aimed to make his pick in October or November, vowing to select the participant with "the best track record."

Internet speeds for both mobile and fixed broadband in the Philippines is among the slowest in the world, according to industry monitor Speedtest Global.